Collapsible shipping container for parcel-post packages



Feb. 7, 1928.

G. R. MEYERcRD ET A1. I' COLLAPSIBLE SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR PARCEL POST PAKAGES 5 Sheets-Sheetl 1 Filed im.y ,29. 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A ZT/ Uzfos af Wm www@ Filed Aug. 29. 1925 G. R. MEYERCORD ET AL GOLLAPSIBLE SHIPPING CONTAINER FSOR `PARCEL' POST PACKAGES Feb. y7, 192s.

Feb. 7, 1928.

1,658,387 G. R. MEYERCORD ET AL GOLLAPSIBLE SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR PARCEL PosT PACKAGES Filed Aug. 29, 1925 3 Sheel.S-Shee l 3 Patented Feb. 7, 1928.

entre!) s-TeilES enonen annynnoonn, or (iniciado,

narrnsliirronrenn, Assien'ons 'ro ne,

Y A CORPORATION or new Yoan.

rnnrnors, nliycniannnsrgi.- nenn-13, of cafn sammler: MANUFACTURING RPOR'I'ON,

OOLLAPSIBLE ysri-narrare CONTAINER non PARCEL-Posrnoimens.'

Appneanbn i'ea August 29, reas. serial No. esassa The vpresent invention has for its princik pal object to produce a strongdi-ght collapsible bor or container in which parcel `post pacliaigeafor example, lmay be packed and safely shipped and which will occupy but little space when collapsed for storage or ship-mentv in an empty condition.

A further' object y of the present invention is to produce Asimple Vand novel antitri'ction supporting elements on a boi( orf receptacle that must be movedl about 'from place to .place over 'a Hoor or platform, whereby the same be moved more easily and with less strain on the same than is the case with similar devices that have antitriction elements at the four corners. n

In attaining this latter object `of our invention we place a plurality Oik separated antifriction devices on one of the center lines otth'e bottom of the container so that, when at rest, the container tips toward one side or the other. Consequently, when a number of such containers are piled upon each other on one side of arailway car, with r the center line on which the antifriction dcvices are located extendingparallel to the adjacent'wall of the car, they will naturally tilt toward such wall and Will therefore lie against or hug the latter. Therefore, viewed in one of its aspects, our invention may be said to have ifor its'ohject to produce novel containers which, when 'stacked beside a. wall, will bear against the same and will notKV tend vto sway outwardly and fall.

The various` features of novelty whereby our linvention` isi characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but for a full understanding of our invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may behad to thel following detailed description taken in connectionV with the accompanying drawings, wherein:V

Figure l1- is altop planview of ya container made -in accordance withv the present inven# tion, the lid or cover being removed; Fig. 2 Y

ijs a section taken approximately on line ot Fig 1;, showing the cover in place;v Fig. 3 ifs a vie-w` vsimilar to Fig. 1', showing the corner posts folded lia't on the'bottonr of tliecontainer, preparatory to'colla}g singV the container; Figmf istanend view of a container, at rest Fig. 5 1s a vertical secn tion through the container in a ycollapsed condition; 6 isa vertical section, on 'a much larger scale than the precedingl figlures,^fthrugwh one end of ',tlie'contaner, showing 4vragments ofthe bottom and of theftop or cover'glFig. 7 isa section taken approxi- ,matelyuou/k line 7-7 "fFig A6, illustrating one corner-lof a container; andF-ig. 8A is `ra transversesection through one of theV corgiier posts and portions of t-wo adjacentfabric walls.V` y. l

n Referring'vto the drawings, l represents ya panel of plymetal consisting` of a. wooden core faced on both sides' with sheetniietafl glued yor cemented thereto; this panel havfing the `proper size andcontour of the bottomfof the oontainert be formed.k Around theedge ,of the bottom" panel is placed` a light angle liron, one ofthe flanges 2 of which extendsy underneath y the panel,A while vthe other flange 3 extends upwardly in contact with the edge of the panel and for some dis tance beyond the upper surface oft-hepanel The si de and end walls' kof they container are .made ofstrong iexible materiale, preferably of a strong fabric suchgas canvas; the lower marginal portions of the/.side and e'nd wardAly-proj,ecti'ng portion of the fiange 3 and .being clampedbetween the same and an inner stripk orb'and 5 which isv fastened t the llangeo'fv-thefangle iron by means of rivets or *otherl suitable .fastening means 6.1. Eirtending along lthe upperA :edge `of the fabric is a. strong light 'metal ,frame 7 preferably in the form of an invertedqchznnel having an Outer deep flange 8 and an inner nar# row flange 9;; th'e fabric lying` againstthe inner face? 'of the 4long Harige' and being.

clamped thereto'fby means of fmetalltrip The top panel is made slightly larger than the frame 7 so that the downwardly-projecting flange of the lid or cover can readily slip .down around the frame.

`When no means are present to hold up the frame around the mouth of the container, the flexible walls will collapse so as to permit the frame to drop down upon the bottom of the container, as shown in Fig. and, if the flexible walls Vare folded inwardly, as shown in Fig. 5, the lid or cover is applied, and the parts are suitably fastened together in their collapsed condition, the container presents an extremely compact `form and will therefore take up very little kspace when` being stored or shipped. At the samev time the flexible side and end walls are housed between the riffid top andl bottom and are protected against injury.

f Suitable means must be provided for holdingthe side and end walls upright and taut when the device is being used as a container. To this end we have provided corner posts, four being shown, since the container is rectangular in shape, each of these posts being in the form of an L-shaped member, preferably a tube of steel or other strong metal, to combine strength and lightness. One arm 16 of each post has a length equal to' the distance between the bottom of the container and the bottom of the channel in' the frame around the mouth of the container, when this frame is moved away from the bottom far enough to draw the canvas taut, and the other arm 17 is'of any desired length.` The two arms of each post are connected by a diagonal brace 18. In order to use this particular arrangement of posts, the shortest transverse dimension of ya container should be at least as'great as the height of the latter. Each post is fastened to the bottom of the container by one or more hinges 19, one leaf of each hinge being fastened to the bottom of the container and the other being fastened to the arm 17 of one ofthe/posts. The posts and the hinges are so. disposed tl at the posts may be swung between positions in which the members 16 stand upright, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, and positions in which the members 16 lie flat on the bottom of the container; the angle of each L lying in one of the corners of the container and the arms 16 and 17 lying vparallel with the two side and end walls that meet to form that corner. lli/here one of the transverse dimensions of the container is not equal to or greater than the combined lengths of the arm 16 and of the arm 17, the hinges must be placed as shown, so that when the posts are folded down, their bases, that'is, the arms 17, are spaced apart from the adjacent walls which they parallel, thus leaving space between .the base of each post and the adjacent wall in which the free end of the arm 16 of another post may lie. This arrangement insures. a minimum thickness for the collapsed container, and also relieves the hinges 'from the stresses which would be created if one of the posts lay partly upon another post when they were folded down.

The members 16 of the posts preferably lie close to the adjacent wall which they parallel, so that when they are swung into their upright positions, they will lit into the channel of the frame 7, as best shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

Means should be provided for locking the posts in their upright positions, since they must beable to resist any blow or pressure that comes against the long corner edges between the side an d end walls. This maypconveniently be accomplished by attaching a spring-pressed bolt 2O to the inner side of the wide fla-nge 8 of the frame 7 in such a position that each bolt may enter a hole 21 formed in the side of the corresponding post element 16, near the upper end of the latter; the movement of the bolt being parallel with the hinge axis of the correspond ing post, so that when the bolt is interloclred with the post, the latter is positively prevented from swinging on its hinge or hinges.A

Assuming the container to be in a collapsed condition, with the lid or cover olf: lt will be seen that to place the container in condition for use it is only necessary to lift the frame 7 and swing up each of the four posts until they are engaged by the spring bolts; the free ends of the posts bearing against the bottoms of the channel in the frame and pushing the frame up wards until the canvas is drawn taut. The container may then be used in the saine way as a non-collapsiblc container. lVhen it is desired to collapse the container, the lid or cover being oft: The locking bolts are withdrawn, the posts are folded down upon the bottom of the container, and the canvas walls are allowed'to collapse and the frame to drop down into the positions shown in Fig. 5. The lid or cover may then be laid on theframe and be secured to the bottom in any suitable n'ianner. to hold the parts iu their compacted condition. A convenient means for holding on the lid or cover both when the container is :n its elpanded coni dition and when it is collapsec, consists of a strap at each end of the container (onliY one of the straps being sh wn) being fastened at its lower end tom of the container ant1 to reach approximately to the top of the expanded container, There are two buckles on the strap, a buckle 25 near the free end and a buckle 27 near the lower end. Fas tened to the end of the lid or cover is a Vshort strap 28. llfhen the container in its expanded condition, the lid or cover may be held in place by engaging the straps this strap to the botbeing long enough retratarnlaaes 2t.- Winansanatra isl cllaps`ed, the straps Qdi/'nay be engaged anni uit tueries 27, `the maar portions" @it the `straps 25 being 'folded inwardly with the endwallsotthe container. y K

Containers ot 'the kind described niafy be very heavy when :[illed, and should therefore be prpvided with antifriction supports which will permit thein vto, be" pushed or drawn over a floor or platformt with a minimum expenditure` o't energy and with a min imum strain on the structure. There antifriction devices are placed at the tour corners oit' the bottom ot' the container, and one of them meets with an obstruction, the container may be severely strained. Furthermore, if .the surface over which the container is being pushed or drawn is rough and uneven, there are four antitriction devices so distributed` that itt one ot them does not strike an obstruction, another is very apt to, producing not only injurious stresses, to which reference has been made, but making the work of moving the container disagreeable.

In accordance with our invention, we place a plurality of antifriction devices, preferably in the form of coi'nparatively flat conveX button-like members 30, on the long central axis on the under side of the bottom of the container. In the arrangement shown, there are three of these button-like supports arranged in a row. In moving the container about, the antitriction supports travel along a single path and avoid all obstructions outside Vof such path. Incase there should be an obstruction high enough.

vto strike the advancing front end of the container, near one side ot the latter, while the container is being held level, the container need only be tilted so as to raise the obstructed side above the obstruction. It the line of button-like supports meets an obstruction over which it is unable to pass, the impact will be directly along the longitudinalv center of the container and there will be no tendency to twist the container about, as would be the case itt a support at one corner struck an obstruction `while aA support at the opposite corner was free to travel ahead. In other words, our improved arrangement not only obviates certain dis agreeable eatures'incident to the work of moving heavy containers about, but it also prevents injury to lthe container due to localized strains, because all of the blows that can be transmitted to the container through the antitriction supports must come along the longitudinal center of the strong rigid bottom, which distributes them to ally parts of the container.

The normal position of rest of the con:- tainer is one in which it is tilted slightly toward one side, as illustrated in Fig. 4. In making a stack of such containers in a rail- @maar the wenn auf 'taine'r is' placed close to on'efwall of they ,ar andwcaused totilt toward.. thewlatter. The next coiitaliiiervwilll tiidtjo .tilt'even more fov'eldf fell .beleef e fthe Seite@ en whichit n y ,fthe off the underly b 4 taineii, inclined.j The second afnd suc essi e containers iifiay 'either be`(alloiv'e"d to ktiltnas far they will go",jthe` loweir "st container in that case being spaced' apart from the wall of the car somewhat, or else they may be allowed to rest against and be partially supported by the wall. In either case the tendency of the stack is to lie close to the wall and not to sway away and topple over when jarred during the travel of the car. Y n

By making the top and bottom of the container out of plymet-al, the posts oftubing, and the sides and ends of canvas, avery strong, light and durable struct-ure results; the top and bottom members and the posts being capable of withstanding heavy blows or of supporting great loads. Furthermore, by coordinating the parts in the manner illustrated, we obtain a large and bulky container oi' great strength when the same is expanded for use, and a small compact bundle when the same is collapsed for storage or shipment in an empty condition.

It will also be seen that our improved antifriction supports make the work of pushing or drawing the loaded container about easy, and give great stability to a stack of containers placed beside a wall of any kind. Y v

While we have illustrated and described with particularity onlyy a single form of our invention, we do not desire to be limited to the particular structural details thus'illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements that come within the definitions of our invention constituting the appended claims. 1

le claim: Y

l. A collapsible container comprising a rigid bottom, ,exible side and end walls, stiening pieces along the upper edges ot said walls, and corner posts each comprising an L-shaped member one arm of which lies parallel with one of said walls and is hinged to said bottom in such a manner that when the post is swung so as to lie fiat sutficient space is left between the hinged arm and the adjacent wall to receive the Ytree end ot another post lying fiat on said bottom.

2. A collapsible container' comprising a rigid vbottom and flexible side andend walls., a frame in the form of an inverted channel forming the upper edge of the container and 'having Yits outer flange fastened to said walls, and corner posts hinged to the said bottom so as to be capable of swinging from positions in which they lie iiat on said bottom to positions in which they stand upright in the corners of the receptacle and have their upper ends engaged in the said channel. i

3. A collapsible container comprising a rigid bottoni, tiexiblo side and end Walls, a rigid frame fastened to the 'upper edges of the said Walls, corner posts hinged to said bottom so as to be capable of swinging from positions in which they lie flat on said bot- ]0 tom to positions in which they stand upright Lesage? with their upper ends engaged With the under side of said frame` and locking devices on said frame for engaging with the upper ends of said posts and locking the posts in their upright positions.

In testimony7 whereof, We sign this specification.

' GEORGE e. MEYERooRD. CHARLES, B. Noems. 

